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Thursday, December 8, 2016

Loot Crate is a monthly subscription box that I've been pining over for years. From popular movies and tv shows to comic book heroes, video games, and anime, everything about it screams my name. Loot Crate is looking for fans to create their own "Dream Crate" that they would die to receive on their doorstep. Personally, I'm a big fan of cult classics, so that's the theme I had to go with!

What I love about Loot Crate is that they often include unique and- occasionally- exclusive items in their boxes, so I've tried doing the same by including a lot of great, handmade pieces! P.S. this can double as my Christmas wishlist, because I need all of these things! What would be inside your Dream Crate?

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

As soon as September hit, I could barely wait for Fall to arrive. Now it's nearing the middle of November, which means it's basically Winter in Wisconsin. Here are a few of my favorite items from the past couple of months!

Urban Decay Naked3 Palette: This is my holy grail palette. There are so many shimmers, and the rose gold tones suit me perfectly. I've never used a palette so many times on so many different occasions. It's so versatile!

NARS The Multiple in Copacabana: This product works as a beautiful, more natural looking cream highlight.

NYX Liquid Suede in Tea & Cookies, Sandstorm, and Brooklyn Thorn: These are the first lip products that I've absolutely fallen in love with. The formula is comfortable to wear, and the color is long lasting, as it dries matte. Light pinks, nudes, and browns are perfect for Fall!

Milani Baked Blush in Rose D'Oro: This isn't normally a shade I would have reached for on my own. I'm pretty pale, and it looks a little daunting, but this is a magical product that seems to work with every skin tone and the color you get from this blush is irresistible.

This is pretty much the same every year around this time, with one exception! The newest season of Shameless aired this Fall instead of making me wait until January. All I have to do now is wait for Gilmore Girls to return at the end of the month and all is good in the world.

Books

Okay to be honest, this is the only book I've picked up in a few months...and I haven't completed it yet, but I'm more than halfway there and have enjoyed the story a lot! Love and First Sight is YouTube-personality Josh Sundquist's fictional debut and it releases in January of 2017.

Tuesday, November 8, 2016

My newfound love of makeup began over the summer and quickly grew from a couple new lip colors to multiple eyeshadow palettes, face products, and ALL of the highlighters. When I heard a rumor that the Urban Decay Electric Palette was on sale because they were discontinuing it, I knew I had to have it. All of the colors in the palette spoke to me. Even though I'd been wearing nothing but black eyeliner on a daily basis for years, I've always loved bold eyes.

These are pressed pigments, so they have an impressive color payoff. Each of the swatches on my arm were done in one swipe. I'm partial to metallic and shimmer shades, but the mattes are just as pretty! I'm still trying to figure out a way to use Slowburn, because I've never worn red-orange eyeshadow before. One thing to keep in mind is that although this is clearly marketed as an eyeshadow palette, like most neon shadows in the United States, not every shade is FDA-approved to use around the eye (Slowburn, Savage, Jilted, and Urban).

From what I've seen so far, Urban Decay always has appealing packaging, but this palette really stands out in my collection. There's an explosion of color on the hard plastic case, accurate to what you will find inside, with a large mirror and handy double-ended brush. While the brush is not the best, and the purple bristles feel more like plastic, it still does well in a pinch. Overall, this palette feels durable and I enjoy throwing it in my travel bag just in case I'm feeling like a change of pace.

As soon as I unboxed this palette, I dipped my brushes in and began to play. Here I have used Revolt on my inner corner, Freak on my lid, Savage as a transition color, Urban in my crease, and Gonzo on my lower lash line. With my order, I also received a sample of Urban Decay Revolution high-color lip gloss in the shade Failbait, which perfectly matched Savage.

If you're interested in snagging this palette before it's gone, you can still get it for $24 on the Urban Decay website, Sephora, or Macy's! I'd say that it's definitely worth the money if you like to live on the wild side and be a little creative with your makeup.

Earlier in the year I stated that I would like to branch out from books and spend more time writing about some of my other interests. Although I knew that I would rather be focusing on photography, makeup, and lifestyle in general, I didn't know how to make that work. I've also had an interest in YouTube, and for years that's all I wanted to be doing, but that will probably be something I'll hold off on, just until I figure out what's right for me.

As of right now, I feel that changing my blog into something I'll enjoy more is a step in the right direction, because I haven't felt very passionate about blogging in a while. I will always love literature and writing...I think it's one of the only things I have always come back to; it's my first love...but it's not my only love, and I need an outlet for those other interests. I still plan to write reviews, share new releases, and post book hauls, but I also dream of writing travel diaries and creating makeup lookbooks.

For as long as I've been blogging, I've kept this world pretty separate from my personal life, but I feel at this point, I would like to find a way to combine them. Of course, this may be a total fail, but it's something that's been on my mind for months and I've just been waiting for what seemed like the right moment. Hopefully you will continue to enjoy my content and my blog will continue to grow with me. Maybe I'll even make a few new friends along the way! As always, thanks for sticking around...if anything inspires me the most, it's the kind words many of you leave in the comments, on Twitter, or on Instagram! <3

Aside from books, I got the Revive VoxBox from Influenster! Inside are compostable coffee pods, various types of protein powder, cookies, shampoo, and a shaker bottle. I'm actually loving the protein powders...my boyfriend has been trying to get me to drink more protein shakes, but I never really liked them until now!

For Authors, Publishers, and PR

I am currently accepting products for review. I would love to schedule interviews, guest posts, giveaways and participate in blog tours. Please check my review policy to see what I'm most interested in reviewing or promoting. Feel free to email me at mcrs_venin@hotmail.com